Estonian vocational education institutions can soon be visited via a virtual tour. Since the fall of 2016, TUUR has been photographing 360° panoramas in practically all Estonian vocational education centers and schools from Valga to Hiiuma. These photos are used to create virtual tours that schools can use to introduce themselves, and authorities to popularize vocational education. A total of 31 virtual tours are planned to be completed by the end of summer 2017. 8 has already been completed and made ready for you to view both on the websites of the respective professional degrees and right here on the TUUR page.
This large-scale project is spearheaded by SA Innove and the Ministry of Education and Science. The purpose of the activity is to demonstrate the current situation of Estonian vocational education institutions - especially from the perspective of the machine fleet and educational buildings, and to shatter once and for all the negative image of vocational schools that has been rooted for decades. Virtual tours also have a direct practical output for the schools themselves. For example, they can use their virtual tour to introduce themselves both in Estonia and abroad. The tour can be shown at various fairs, and it is also a good material to distribute through the school's website and social media - again to arouse interest in your school among young potential vocational students.
However, virtual tours of vocational training institutions do not only show iron and concrete. In the panoramic photos, the students and teachers of the schools are in the foreground, doing their daily tasks and responsibilities. In the pictures, buildings and equipment can be seen in the background, but the focus is still on people and what they do within the school walls. Thus, these virtual tours offer an opportunity to take a look into this world, which is usually hidden from the eyes of the common man.
